Shades of Pink and Yellow
by Lady Keiko
Summary: Sakura is accidentally sent back in time where she meets Minato. She knows she can't fall for him, but love is hard to ignore. And to make matters worse: Kushina is back. Can Sakura and Mianto's love withstand Fate from taking all that they hold dear?
1. Prologue: Cherry Blossom Flower of Fate

**_Shades of Pink and Yellow_ **

Disclaimer: _C'est dommage_! I don't own Naruto.

Prologue

There it was. The prettiest flower little six years-old Sakura Haruno had ever seen. It was in the middle of the grassy field, its petals pink and bright, swaying to the rhythm of the wind. This flower had to be it; it was pink and looked like just like a cherry blossom. Their ninja class had gone on an expedition to the forest with an assignment to find the legendary Blossom Flower that could cure headaches if boiled with water.

Ino-pig had been bragging about how quick and easy she'd find it seen she'd seen it once at her family's flower shop. Well, let her talk. Sasuke hadn't looked impressed. But if Sakura found it, then maybe Sasuke just might look at her for once.

And now, here it was. Or at least Sakura thought this was it. It couldn't hurt to look. As Sakura walked over to the flower, she noticed a stranger emerge from the shadows of the trees beyond. It was a woman, garbed in a white robe. A large straw hat obscured her features, but the dark eyes gleamed as they examined Sakura.

"Um…hello," mumbled Sakura nervously, eyeing the flower and the woman. "Are you lost, ma'am?"

The woman's lips twitched. "No little one, but I fear you will be. In the future."

"Future?" Echoed Sakura in confusion.

"Yes. The future holds much for you. Don't get discouraged, fight back. You're stronger then you think Sakura."

Sakura gaped. How did the woman know her name? Was it her hair? She had often been told that she was practically the only girl in all of Konoha, probably the world, to have pink hair. So of course people would easily know who the girl with pink hair was.

"How do you know my name?"

The woman smiled. "Because if you and him and can come together, then you can defeat the threat that will come to Konoha in the Past."

And now the lady lost her. The woman wobbled a bit as she stepped forward. Concerned Sakura asked, "Is there something wrong, miss?"

The woman shook her head. "Oh nothing. Just a headache from using too much of my chakra."

That's when Sakura remembered the flower. She turned and grabbed it before returning to the woman. "Here. My teacher said the Cherry Blossom flower will make headaches go away."

Surprised, the woman smiled gently. "Thank you, little one. Not everyone would be as kind as you." The woman accepted the flower before Sakura remembered that she had to get back. She wished the lady to take care before she left.

Now, as Sakura sat in class, stealing glances at Sasuke and briefly glaring at Ino-pig, she wondered who that woman was and what she had meant by "him". Maybe, she thought, she meant Sasuke. Sakura squealed in her head and smiled at the board. She'd definitely work hard for him to notice her.

* * *

Minato couldn't help but note the strange woman looking at him. His other teammates were oblivious as they argued. Even Jiraiya sensei was a little preoccupied by the woman next to him. Still, one would think after twenty minutes of staring, one would get tired of staring at a stranger.

The mission he and his teammates were assigned was simple enough, find the rogue ninja and return him back to the Hokage for judgment. They had arrived at the Shumaro town just yesterday where the rogue nin was supposedly hiding out. With Jiraiya sensei's network of information, it would only take a couple of hours before the perpetrator was apprehended.

Still, Minato wouldn't mind if the lady could look else where. Maybe—maybe she was working for the rogue ninja and had been trying to figure out who he was. Whoa. That was a close one. Minato's initial reaction was to report this theory to Jiraiya sensei, but if she was a spy, it would be best not to give his sensei away.

His teammates had just finished their argument and are now splitting up. Minato sighed. Haven't they heard of teamwork? Looking back towards the woman, Minato was a little surprised to see her walking towards him. He tightened his grip and tried to act casual.

It wasn't until the woman approached him that he gave her his attention. Her features were obscured by the large straw hat she wore, making it impossible for Minato to discern her age. Her lips were visible though and smiled when she saw him squinting at her.

"Hello young Minato. You're probably wondering why I've kept staring at you," she said calmly, her voice ageless.

Minato, for his part, was a little surprised that this stranger knew his name. Had he met her before? He couldn't recall.

"Don't worry," reassured the woman. "I've only come to give you a warning."

"A warning?"

"About the future," she continued. "Bad things will happen that will threaten the peace of Konoha and all who inhabit there. The war right now is nothing to what will happen should evil interfere. But if you find your future lady and unite with her, then maybe evil can be defeated."

Minato shook his head. "I don't understand what you're talking about."

The woman smiled warily. "The young ones never do. But you will, in the future. Just remember, nothing is ever as it seems, Minato."

The woman turned to leave, but before she did, she retrieved something from her large sleeve: a single rare Cherry Blossom flower, freshly picked and undamaged by being held in the woman's sleeve. Minato stood, gaping. Finding a flower like that around Konoha was like finding gold in a dessert. The chances were slim if possible at all for finding one. And what shocked Minato the most was that the woman was handing it to him!

"A little girl gave me that flower for my headache, but I'm too old to waste such a valuable find. Keep it. I'm sure she'd be happy to know that you have it now."

With that, the woman disappeared into the crowd. Minato didn't know what to think of the flower in his hands or what had just happened. It wasn't a second later that Jiraiya came strolling next to the confused boy, grinning like he won the lottery.

"Found the perp's hideout. We can strike tonight and be back at home by dawn," then he noticed the Cherry Blossom flower in Minato's hand. He whistled, impressed. "Is that a Cherry Blossom flower? Nice. You don't see one of those in a lifetime. They say it has special healing properties for any head and heart wounds. But," Jiraiya egged mischievously. "They also tell of a legend where the first person who picked the flower and the last person to receive it will end up together, body and soul."

Minato frowned. "How dumb. Body and soul? What does that even mean?"

Jiraiya grinned. "It called love, little man. I hear the flower stays fresh and glowing until the two lovers find each other. Isn't that something? Now I'm not big on superstitions, but either way, you should keep it. Could be useful when you get injured."

In the end, Minato decided to keep the flower, not because of the silly love legend but because such a flower was rare and to throw it away or give it to somebody else (seriously, what had that little girl and the woman been thinking?) would be a shame. It never occurred to Minato who that lady was nor did he waste time thinking about who his "future lady" would be. He had a mission to accomplish and he wasn't going to let his teammates down.

* * *

Much later, when the moon was high in the sky, when the leaves of the forest rustled in the wind, a dark figure wiped his blade clean of blood from the dead crumpled form below. The dark figure turned slightly and called out to another hidden figure by the trees.

"It's done. Inform Z-sama that the kids have been warned." The figure by the trees nodded before disappearing. Placing the clean blade in its sheath, the dark figure left the clearing without hesitation.

The crumpled dead form on the ground did not stir, but the large straw hat was lifted and blown away by the wind.

* * *

**Hello everyone! This is my first SakuMina story so we'll see where this goes. Hope you all liked the Prologue. Will update with Chapter One soon.**

**Sincerely, Lady Keiko**


	2. Chapter One: What Just Happened?

**_Shades of Pink and Yellow_**

__Disclaimer: Sadly, I don't own Naruto.

Chapter One

_13 Years Later_

Sakura Haruno stood in front of the Gondaime Hokage's desk with a mixture of anxiety and hunger. Hunger because yet again, she had been interrupted from her meal for the eighth time this week in order to attend to some task or other. No matter where she was, be it hospital, home or training; Sakura was always interrupted. It wouldn't have been so bad if Sakura could actually finish a full meal. Still when duty called, one obeyed.

Beside her Naruto stood impatiently, having also been interrupted from his ramen lunch to answer Tsunade's summons. Apparently they had mission. The briefing for their mission would have already started had it not been for their final missing member. Tsunade insisted they wait before she filled them in on the details.

It was then that their final member walked in through the doors; Sai. On cue Naruto started to berate him for making them all wait. Sakura would have done the same were she not so hungry. All she had for breakfast today was some miso soup and rice before heading towards the hospital where she worked her day shift.

Now that everyone was present, Tsunade began the debriefing.

"I have an A-ranked mission for all three of you and trust you all can finish this within the week. You'll all be in charge of protecting and escorting Himiko Chigasu to the Land of Sand. The Chigasu clan has graciously allowed us to borrow Himiko-san for a number of reasons and now its time we escorted her back home. But there have been threats towards the Chigasu clan and they're worried that something might happen towards young Himiko-san. That's where you three come in."

"Interesting," murmured Sakura. "I've heard of the Chigasu clan and their supposed super top secret clan technique privy to a select few in a few of the countries. You wouldn't mind telling what that is would you?"

Tsunade smiled. "Unfortunately that information is classified. Maybe when you pass the ANBU Elite Trials, you might know a few things."

Sakura smiled wryly. "I will. Don't you worry about that."

"Sakura-chan will pass that with no problems," agreed Naruto, grinning at his teammate. "Won't Sasuke-teme be surprised when your ranked higher than him?"

"That's if she passes," reminded Sai. "Which I doubt seeing as you're still slow. Didn't Kakashi say you needed to work on that?"

It was times like these where Sakura wished she could punch Sai in the face. He usually doesn't mean what he says, but what he says can sure irritate the hell of Sakura. If it was for the bet Ino had wagered, Sai's face would be hurting. And the prick knew it too, judging by the small smile he gave.

"Ha. Funny," Sakura said dryly. "So where's Himiko?"

"Over there," Tsunade pointed to the left side of the room where a small dark female figure sat with her head cast down. It kind of shocked Sakura that she hadn't noticed the small girl before. The girl looked up, her face mostly covered by her thick black hair and her black eyes too big for her face. She reminded Sakura of a deer caught in a headlight.

"Wait, she was here this whole time?" Naruto exclaimed in disbelief. "Wow! Um, sorry there Hichiko—"

Sakura elbowed him. It usually signified he had said something wrong and thankfully the boy remembered her name.

"—Himiko-chan. Didn't notice you there."

Even Sai looked a bit surprised. Of course it didn't help that the poor girl wore all black either, or that she seemed naturally shy and quiet. The girl Himiko flushed and stared at her feet.

"I believe that sums up the introduction," concluded Tsunade, laughing inside. "I'll see you all in a couple of days. Himiko-san it had been a pleasure for your services."

Himiko nodded. With that, everyone was ushered out. It was soon agreed upon that they would all meet up at the village gate by three. Sakura took it upon herself to personally take of the girl seeing as she flinches from Naruto's shadow and almost ran away from merely one glance from Sai. Sakura wondered what service this girl performed that's so important and top secret when Himiko could barely stand the people walking next to her on the street.

She sort of made Sakura remember to the time when she was five and how horribly she'd been bullied because of her forehead. Of course now, thankfully, Sakura had manage to grow into it and even though it was slightly larger than normal, it wasn't as noticeable. Or at least Sakura hoped not.

"So Himiko-chan," started Sakura, hoping to make the feel girl comfortable. "Did you enjoy your time in Konoha?"

"I guess," she murmured softly.

"Uh, well, what did you see anything interesting?"

"Yeah. But none of it is pleasant. So much will change if people aren't careful of what's out of there. Even you Sakura-chan."

What startled Sakura wasn't the fact that Himiko knew her name or that she actually spoke more than five words, but the wise words spoken like an aged woman. Sakura turned to look at Himiko who was fidgeting with the hem of her sleeve. Sakura shook her head, probably imagining things since she hadn't eaten all day.

"Are you hungry Himiko?"

"A little."

"How about I pack some lunch for us? We'll probably set up camp at the border of Fire country before continuing on in the morning."

Himiko nodded, her big black eyes docile. For the rest of the next hour, Sakura packed her bags and lunches while Himiko sat on the couch, looking around with wide eyes.

"I really like your apartment, Sakura-chan," she said after she observed a picture frame of Team Seven in its heyday.

Sakura smiled softly. "Thanks. My friend Ino helped me redecorate the place after I moved in here. What about you?"

"I live with the rest of the clan." She stated casually. She turned her gaze to Sakura's and smiled. "But I was hoping that once I mastered my kekkei genkai and turned eighteen I could move out."

Sakura smiled, liking the girl's hidden spirit. "Well that's good. Remember not to let anyone get you down."

Himiko nodded. "You should remember that too. Just because things seem impossible doesn't mean its so."

That aged woman picture came to Sakura's mind at Himiko's peculiar words again. Once Sakura finished the packing she noticed that they had twenty minutes to spare. Deciding that a light snack was seriously in order Sakura went to her tiny kitchen to raid her fridge, but frowned when she saw it empty. What is wrong with the world? Sakura moved to the cupboards and was relieved to find a couple of granola bars stashed away. This would do. Handing one to Himiko, Sakura returned to her room to change.

As she did so, Himiko wandered in. "I have a question."

"Shoot," said Sakura as she changed outfit.

"Um…do you have a boyfriend?"

"No, not really. Had one before but it didn't work out." Sakura didn't mention that her last ex-boyfriend was Sasuke. After he had returned to the village and got pardoned, even after all he did, he had had the balls to ask her out. Just like that. As if he hadn't almost killed her once. And the even crazier part was that Sakura had accepted. But luckily by that point, she had known that Sasuke had changed. And she had changed as well. Sakura wasn't a weak crybaby ninja anymore who needed protection and more training. At some point she had shifted into a different person.

Now Sakura was a force to be reckoned with. She was the top medic nin in the village, second only to Tsunade. Her taijutsu was feared all throughout the country and her genjutsu affinity had been honed to near perfection. Not to mention the new ninjutsus she's managed to create and recreate.

Even her appearance was slightly different. Sakura had decided to grow out her hair again a few months ago and so far she wasn't feeling so sure that it was a good idea. It might look nice it might not. She's been so use to her short cropped hair that anything else was foreign to her. Still, as Ino would put it, her bust was, thankfully, growing bigger despite its constant restraint. Her hips were right for her size and all that was missing in her life was that "special someone". So far none of the guys around were fitting the bill, but Sakura was patient and preoccupied with a lot on her plate at the moment. That special someone would just have to wait.

"Why do ask?"

"Because you're going to meet someone soon."

Sakura blinked. Huh? Himiko flushed, embarrassed. "I'm sorry. I say a lot of weird things that don't make any sense sometimes. Just ignore it. Everyone does."

Sakura nodded, smiling a little. She finished dressing and fastening her boots in record. "Time to go."

When Sakura and Himiko arrived at the gate, Naruto and Sai were equipped and ready to go. They signed out at the desk with Izumo watching and before they knew it, they were gone. As they lunged from branch to branch with a nervous, blushing Himiko on Naruto's back, Sakura realized that it's been quite a while since she's gone on any mission of any importance. Most of her time's been spent at the hospital or in Tsunade's office; if not there, then at the library researching or visiting her parents on the weekends. The latter of the two became a mandate from the fearsome Harui Haruno.

The main sole reason for the visit, other than catching up on nostalgia, is for the answer to one persistent question that Sakura's becoming increasingly annoyed at: when are the grandchildren coming? The fact that Sakura was only nineteen (her twentieth birthday in just a couple of weeks) doesn't seem to register in Harui's mind. Usually, Sakura goes to her parent's house alone. One time, she brought over Naruto to dinner: big mistake.

Hauri had hypnotized that boy so quick that by the time dinner was over, he was on his knees proposing marriage. Afterwards, Sakura had managed to slap him out of it, literally. Still, Harui's scary powers of persuasion had some lingering effects. Naruto would occasionally look at her for a little too long or have some sort of depth in those too-blue eyes of his (which she thought pretty hot at irregular intervals of the day, not that she'd admit it…ever).

Time seemed to go on. The sun was low in the sky and Team Seven sans Kakashi sensei (he was on a solo mission of another kind) were close to the Fire country border. They stopped at a small clearing to rest a bit before continuing on.

"Does this mean we get to eat?" Himiko asked after regaining her balance. Behind her Naruto stretched his back. Sakura smiled.

"Of course. I'm starving just like you are and wouldn't you know it, the lunches will finally get eaten."

Naruto and Sai ambled over. "Sakura chan, did you get something for me?"

"How does a granola bar sound?"

"What?"

"You already ate something odd bowls of ramen before we left, remember?" Scolded Sakura.

"It was only four. And we've been traveling for hours."

She sighed, looking at Naruto's puppy eyes before finally giving in. "Fine. Himiko, how does sharing sound?"

Himiko shrugged. "I don't really mind. I'm not a big eater anyways."

Naruto grinned. "Then its settled."

Note to self: bring instant Ramen for Naruto, thought Sakura as everyone settled down. The lunches were divided and all was right with the world. Finally.

The minute Sakura had her chopsticks to her mouth though, a kunai was hurled through the air and dislodged the food from her eating utensil. Himiko shrieked and Naruto and Sai were on their feet in an instant. Himiko was quickly herded behind Sakura, but despite that all Sakura could think was: _what just happened?_

Turns out they had been ambushed by a group of mystery ninjas. Their head ties were hidden and nothing but their faces were revealed.

"Sai, do you have any idea what ninjas these are?" whispered Sakura.

Sai shook his head. "I don't recognize their gear, but either way, something tells me they're bad news."

They attacked. Naruto and Sai managed to hold them at bay while Sakura guarded the trembling Himiko. When a ninja did manage to make it pass the first line of defense, Sakura had the offender flat on his back unconscious before he could even blink. The fight was still brewing and Sakura was alert at all time. She felt Himiko tug at her red vest hesitantly.

"What is it Himiko?"

"I think there's a head ninja hidden near here. You know, the head honcho that sits back? I keep getting this…feeling that he's gonna come and ruin things."

Sakura turned her head slightly and gave the young girl a reassuring smile. "Don't worry. If he is out there I promise you'll be safe and sound."

Himiko frowned. "But it wasn't me I was worried about."

"What—"

"Sakura-chan watch out!" Shouted Naruto as one of the enemies managed to get past him. The ninja threw a smoke bomb in front of the girls before either of them could blink. Sakura vaguely heard Himiko cough before she felt her chakra signature start to recede. A second later she heard Himiko shout.

_Damn_! Just because she hadn't had any training recently was no excuse to slip up like that. What a genin mistake. "Naruto! Sai! They've taken Himiko! I'm going after her!"

Sakura left before she could get a response. Himiko was nearby so the enemy couldn't be too far away. Note to self: when I return home, train! Luckily, the enemy didn't sense Sakura's disguised chakra signature. She stayed hidden when she saw the enemy ninja hand Himiko over to some unknown stranger with a wicked looking blade. So the girl's "feeling" had been right, after all.

"Good job. Make sure to kill the others. Especially the pink haired one."

_What? Was he talking about me? Why do I warrant extra killing privileges?_ Sakura narrowed her eyes, contemplating how she'd rescue the struggling Himiko. Down below, the stranger chuckled as he hauled the girl over his shoulder.

"Pipe down small fry. You'll be dead too in a couple of hours. Just need to deliver you and presto. No need to get impatient."

"Let go!" Himiko shouted. "Or…or I'll make you sorry!"

The laugh was much louder now. "Or what? You'll fortune tell me to death? Get real. Everyone knows the Chigasu clan is made up of a bunch of weak wanna-be soothsayers. You're nothing. And you can't do squat."

"Maybe she can't," said Sakura as she landed a few feet from Himiko and the stranger. "But she's got me and I can do a lot more then squat."

The stranger turned around, took one quick look at Sakura, and swore angrily. He dropped Himiko and took out his blade. "Useless bastards. No matter, I'll kill you before the sun begins to sets."

Sakura's temper flared but remained in check. "We'll see."

As he lunged forward with his blade, Sakura easily dodged before she took out a kunai and blocked his next quick advance. There were several opportunities for a quick and easy defeat, but just as Sakura would hit it, the bastard dodged. In one particular move, Sakura backed away before she rapidly did a few hand signs and called out: "Sakura Senbon no Jutsu!"

A flurry of cherry blossom petals whirled around in the air before they stiffened like sharp little knives and threw themselves at the enemy. The stranger, for his part, hadn't anticipated this and wasn't able to dodge all of them. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, but the man kept standing.

"I'm ending this now!" He shouted. Right before her eyes, his sword transformed into crossbow with deadly knives in place. That cheating bastard, Sakura thought. With her gloves in place, Sakura was left no choice but to use her strength to dislodge the enemy's balance for just a second; it was all she needed to take him down.

On the sidelines, Himiko looked terrified. "Don't do it Sakura-chan! I can't see you in the future!"

` "You're damn right you won't," muttered the stranger. He let the knives fly loose at the same time Sakura ran towards him. She should have dodged them easy…except Himiko screamed and a white light flashed into the clearing before disappearing. Her surprise made her move her body slightly out of calculation, getting herself nicked in the arm and cheek. But that didn't stop her.

Sakura jumped up and landed a super kick square into the enemy's chest. She heard a crack, a string of oaths, and a thud of his weapon falling before she did a back flip in the air and landing on her feet. Sakura didn't waste any time and quickly punched the remaining consciousness of the enemy into a black abyss.

It was over.

Sakura caught her breath before she stood up straight to face Himiko. Only…Himiko was gone. "Himiko?" She looked around and tried sensing the girl's chakra signature, but no dice. "Himiko?"

Puzzled, Sakura tied the enemy ninja to the tree trunk, fully intending for him to be interrogated by the Konoha when she returned to the village. With that out, Sakura set out to find her missing charge. Unfortunately, around forty five minutes later, she couldn't find anyone. Not even Naruto, Sai, or the beaten up enemy ninjas. What gives?

"If this is a joke, it isn't funny anymore!" She shouted to no one in particular as she ran back to where she had defeated her opponent. Feeling less then friendly, Sakura managed to make it back swiftly, but when she looked up all she saw was a blond head. Her natural instincts kicked in.

"Naruto you _baka_! Where the hell is Himiko? And where's Sai? What kind of joke are you playing at? Do you _want _me to hit you into the next century?" She raged, curling her hands into fists as she stalked toward her target. The blond figure turned around from examining Sakura's handiwork to face her. Sakura stopped short, suddenly realizing her mistake.

She flushed furiously as she pointed and said, "You're not Naruto."

* * *

Naruto Uzumaki lunged from branch to branch, happy to have finished off the last of the enemy so he could go to Sakura. No doubt she would have finished off the kidnapper and rescued Hichiko, or was it Hiriko? Sai was only a few feet behind and judging from the chakra signature he presumed was Hijiko, he raced forward.

As he burst through the leaves to land in the clearing, Naruto noticed the sobbing girl standing all by herself in the area. _Where was Sakura-chan? _He thought to himself. He walked over to…was it Hishiko? Naruto couldn't remember but was certain he'd get it later.

"Hey, uh, um, whatcha doin' crying? Did something happen to you?" Naruto asked, suddenly worried that the enemy bastard Sakura went chasing had somehow hurt the girl. "Did that bastard do something to you?"

Her sobs became quieter, but tears still continued to spill from her eyes. Naruto couldn't help but notice that the girl was actually cute, if only he could remember her name. Higiko shook her head. "S-Sakura-chan is g-gone," she announced.

"Gone? What do you mean gone?" He exclaimed in surprise. "Did the enemy do something to her?"

She shook her head, silent except for the tears. "The guy's gone too. They're both gone. They were fighting and I thought Sakura-chan would die because I couldn't see her future anymore and-and-and I messed up. Again!"

Behind Naruto Sai appeared, having overhead Himiko's explanation of his teammates disappearance. "Himiko-san, what do you mean you messed?"

Himiko wiped the tears from her eyes, but the grief stricken look still stuck. "Don't you get it? I sent Sakura-chan back in time and I don't know where!"

**Well, here's Chapter One! I was surprised at all the reviews that I had gotten and can only say I'm glad everyone liked it. And honestly, I didn't think I'd have this chapter out so soon either, but as I'm sure someone out there in the world might say, supply and demand. You demand and I supply. Until Chapter Two!**

**Sincerely, Lady Keiko**


	3. Chapter Two: So Where Am I?

**Disclaimer: **Alas, I don't own Naruto, but if I did...chahahahahaha!

Chapter Two

Minato Namikaze blinked as he stared at the gaping pink kunoichi a few feet away from him. He had been expecting someone a lot more bigger and well, more male-ish. _Not_ a painfully obvious feminine female; especially not one with pink hair and large green eyes. _Man she's pretty_, he thought for a minute before trying to remember what he was doing here. Oh yeah.

He had been on a mission to Suna earlier, having completed it in record time. His comrades had gone ahead to the village, eager to reunite with their newly acquired girlfriends (a story Minato did not want to recount at the moment), when he had sensed an unfamiliar chakra signature and gone to investigate it. Minato had been suspicious at first, thinking that maybe it had been a rock ninja doing some espionage work. It came as a great shock when he discovered that the ninja currently tied up was actually a rogue criminal according to his bingo book. Now that he saw the culprit responsible for capturing the criminal was actually this girl, the numbers refused to add up.

Minato was damn sure he'd never seen this girl in his life. He definitely would have remembered her if he had too. "No ma'am," he replied after quickly recollecting his thoughts. He hoped he didn't sound like an idiot. "I'm most certainly not this Naruto person. But can I just ask: who are you? And are you really a Konoha shinobi?"

The girl huffed indignantly, apparently her pride having been insulted, he mused. "Of course I'm a Konoha shinobi! But the real question is: who are _you_? I've certainly never seen you in the village. You look like an older replica of Naruto."

_Again with the Naruto_, he noted. He was about to reply when he heard an oath behind him. He turned and found the tied up criminal looking at him in disbelief. His gaze shifted to the pink haired kunoichi and he paled suddenly.

"Oh no. I'm dead now," he muttered. Minato walked over to him, catching his attention.

"Gorton Torono, missing ninja from the Hidden Cloud village, you're under arrest for several crimes committed against several nations and for almost assassinating the current Hokage. You will be brought in for interrogation by the Konoha authorities," said Minato firmly. Gorton cursed, blood spilling from his mouth.

"Is that his name?" The girl asked as she came closer.

Minato nodded. "He's an elusive one, disappearing for years on end and suddenly appearing out of nowhere. He's known to have an expert hand at poisons that were used to kill numerous important people. We suspect that he's working for someone, but that's never been proved."

"And it won't," stated Gorton, grinning. "Now you're stuck here you pink haired bitch. That Chigasu brat may have brought you here, but they'll come for you and kill you before you and the prince of Konoha here can ruin the ultimate plan."

"What—" Minato started, but was interrupted by an upset pink kunoichi.

"You mentioned Himiko! Where is she? What have you done with her?"

"She's safe in her time unfortunately. No matter though, they'll still come after her."

The girl looked she was ready to beat the crap of Gorton again. "Stop being so cryptic and just say what you mean!"

Gorton sneered. "Why don't you ask Prince Konoha for his name? In fact take a stroll through your village; I'm sure you'll understand why you're in no position to make demands. You're out of your time and element."

Minato grabbed the girl before the annoying Gorton could suffer any more injuries. She struggled with fire in her eyes, but he held her tight. He glanced back at the smirking ninja and narrowed his gaze. "Shut up Gorton. You'll have plenty to say when once the interrogation starts."

"I'm afraid my time has come, but it's been a pleasure to see you alive because soon, you won't be."

It happened so fast both Sakura and Minato didn't have a chance to blink. The crossbow had reverted itself back into a sword and was lodged deep into Gorton's throat. Blood was sprayed into the air and ran down to stain his torso, his eyes were empty and his skin pale.

Sakura sucked in her breath. Though she was use to bloody situations in the hospital and even bloodier combat on some missions, Sakura would have rather lived her life not seeing the last few seconds of Gorton's demise. Above her the blond ninja cursed. It was then that Sakura realized that he was still holding her. She jumped away as soon as the realization became known to her.

The man looked confused as she catapulted out of his arms. "Keep your hands to yourself!" she exclaimed, blushing furiously. If Sakura could count the times she's ever been held, it would be zero; even when she had briefly dated Sasuke, Sakura hadn't been held or touched anywhere other than her hands. Just remembering her inexperience depressed; to think she was still chaste at this age. Not that she was eager to lose it or anything. Sakura wished that her mother and Ino would stop bugging her about "getting a man"; she may have ninja smarts, but picking up guys was painfully obviously not her forte (most of the guys in the village knew about her volatile temper and knew too well to stay away from her in case they did something to warrant a punch).

Wait…why was she even thinking about this now? Sakura blushed again as she looked away. Who cares about all that stuff? She still had her brains and that had to count for something.

"Oh, uh, sorry," the blond man apologized. He cleared his throat as he directed his attention to the gruesome scene before him. "That's a mess. I'm gonna have to inform the Hokage about this. I know for a fact that he'll be upset at Gorton's suicide."

Sakura stopped her thoughts when she noted the keywords the blond man spoke. "Did you say _he_?"

The blond man looked up. "Of course."

"You mean _she_?"

"She?"

"Of course," Sakura quoted as she turned around to walk away. She took one steady step before she felt it. Her left arm was like lead, heavy and stiff. She tried moving it but found that she couldn't. She gasped, confused as to what was happening. With her other arm she used her chakra to sense what the damage was. It didn't take long before she noticed that poison had entered her system. And it wasn't your average poison too.

She made a little gasp as she tried to slow down the flow. That Gorton must have coated the bow tip with some sort of special poison undetectable to the naked eye. Behind her, Sakura felt the blond man approach her.

"Hey are you alright? You look kind of pale,"

"Gorton's…poison," she said gasping, feeling the effects despite her best effort. "It's starting…to…affect me." It was obvious that the poison attacked her motor skills first (seeing as she stopped moving), next was her eyesight (there went the light) and lastly would be consciousness…

* * *

Minato caught the female kunoichi in his arms before she could collapse on the ground. He felt her forehead and found it unusually hot. She looked flushed and little short breaths were escaping her lips as sweat beads formed. If the situation wasn't so bad Minato would have wondered if this is how she looked after a good romp in bed.

Oh gosh, did he really just think that? Jiraya was obviously getting to him. The poor girl was slowly dying and he had to get her to a hospital fast. Minato managed to carry the girl on his back without much difficulty. Surprisingly, she was pretty light weight. Using his special technique that had earned him the name the Yellow Flash, he was gone in no time.

It took him only fifteen minutes to arrive at Konoha, during which time he horridly raced towards the Konoha hospital. Of course, Minato, in rushing to save the girl, didn't notice the stares of everyone that knew him carry of what seemed like an unconscious girl on his back. And thus, seeing as it was a slow new day, began to gossip.

Minato on the other hand managed to get the mysterious girl safely in the care of poison experts. Femi, a friend of his that was going out with one of his other friends, smiled as Minato sat down and took a second to rest.

"Well you looked like you ran a marathon for days."

Minato huffed. "I had to be quick. I wasn't sure if she was gonna make it in time."

"It'll take some time to remove the poison from her system, but she'll be fine. My people are examining her now. By the way, who is she?"

Minato stopped himself from answering. One, he didn't know her name; second, he was pretty sure that he should be talking about all this to the Third Hokage first. He got up and patted Femi on the shoulder.

"Don't worry about it. Anyways, I'll be back." With that he was gone. It didn't take Minato long to find the Third Hokage. The Third liked walking on the roof top of the Hokage Tower around mid-afternoons, claimed that the setting sun gave the best light to the Hokage Mountain. Minato approached and the Hokage turned to him.

"It's good to see you return. What kept you?"

"Several things," he admitted. It didn't take long for Minato to finish his report. His team members had already given the Hokage most of the information and all he needed now was a confirmation.

"I also suggest we get the ANBUs to retrieve Gorton's body. We may be able to glean something from it."

"Indeed we can," stated the Hokage. "And what was this about the young woman you found? The strange one?"

"Oh well…she didn't give her name but Gorton was talking about the Chigusa clan and apparently the girl knew something about it too."

The Hokage glanced at the mountain in silence, before murmuring something indistinguishable. Minato strained to hear but it was useless. It wasn't until the Hokage turned to him and smiled. "I think this will turn out interesting."

Minato looked puzzled. "What will?"

The Hokage just chuckled. "Come, lets inform the ANBU and later meet the girl once she recovers."

* * *

"Whaaa!" cried Himiko as she leaned her forehead on Naruto's back as they approached their destination. "I'm a failure! I don't deserve the Chigusa name! And now I've sent Sakura chan into some time abyss."

"Time abyss?" Naruto echoed.

"Relax," said Sai. "I'm sure the Chigusa elders will know what to do. Won't they Himiko sama?"

Himiko looked over with tear filled eyes and nodded. "Obaasan will know what to do. She's the head of the Chigusa clan and she knows stuff about time travelling. I'm sure she can figure out where Sakura went and how to get her back."

"Time traveling," Naruto echoed again. "Ow, my brain hurts just thinking about it."

Himiko sighed. "That's how I felt during my lessons too. It's basically like a circle or something. Oh look! There it is!"

Naruto and Sai approached a giant dwelling with small houses clustered together, surrounding the old style Japanese structure with grace and dignity. A tall, handsome stranger with dark hair and blue eyes approached the group. Himiko got off Naruto's back and happily greeted him.

"Ryuuji kun! You're back from your mission," stated the excited girl.

"It's nice to see you return safely from Konoha, Himiko sama," greeted the man. Himiko turned around towards Naruto and Sai and introduced them.

"Guys, this is Ryuuji Hateyo. He' s a dedicated follower of the Chigusa clan and an old friend of my late grandfather's."

"Nice to meet you," muttered Naruto. Sai did the same. Himiko turned to Ryuuji but this time her solemn expression returned.

"Um, do you know where Obaasa is?"

"Lady Chigusa? Why I believe she's in the temple meditating. Why do you ask?"

"Because it's very important," she said before she ran past him. Naruto and Sai followed. Ryuuji stared at their retreating backs with an unreadable expression before following. When Himiko, Naruto and Sai found the temple with the attendees waiting patiently outside, Himiko huffed.

"Great. Now we'll never get inside," she said gloomily.

"Why? Are the old stooges gonna say something?" Naruto replied, glancing at the elderly attendees who looked as if they were more asleep then awake. "They look kind of sleepy."

"They may be old, but they're as sharp as a tack," informed Himiko.

Sai walked a away for a few feet before saying, "We can always sneak in."

"And what exactly do you need from Lady Chigusa that you have to sneak in?" inquired Ryuuji from behind.

Naruto and Himiko shushed him before she quietly explained. "On our way here we were sort of ambushed."

"What?" exclaimed Ryuuji. "_How dare they_? Who was it? If there's enough time I can catch these criminals and deal with swift justice."

"They're dead," Naruto informed the older man. "We finished the group up pretty quickly, but by the time I looked up, I realized Sakura and Himiko weren't with us. And when I found Himiko, my friend Sakura was nowhere to be seen."

Ryuuji raised a brow, still not understanding until Himiko cried hysterically, "I sent Sakura chan back in time by accident and I have NO IDEA how to bring her back!"

Ryuuji stilled. "You did what?"

"So is this where my little Himiko has been?" A smooth and alluring voice from behind made the group slowly turn around. A tall woman dressed in a white and red kimono with a head dressing smiled excitedly at Himiko. Before Himiko could say anything she glomped on the poor girl and began to squeal,"Oh I'm so glad you're back! You don't know how lonely I've been without seeing my precious little Himiko around!"

Himiko's response was muffled by the fabric of the kimono. The woman then turned eyes on Sai and Naruto and grinned. "And who could these dashing boys be? Are they the handsome ninja who escorted you safely back home?"

Sai remained silent while Naruto looked as if Haruhi Haruno had appeared in the flesh. After Himiko broke away from the woman's grasp, she turned towards the boys with a shy smile.

"Sai-san, Naruto-kun, this is—"

"Lady Chigusa!" cried one of the attendees when they spotted the woman across the courtyard. "What are you doing out of the temple?"

"Oh sod it!" pouted the woman. "I already know what I need to see and seeing more then I should will only give me headaches."

"But they do have a point," interjected Ryuuji. "You should just follow protocol as is firmly written within Chigusa tradition."

"How dull," Lady Chigusa remarked. "Now Himiko! Come with me and I'll get you and your friends something yummy to eat! I can't wait to hear how you're first mission went."

"Wait! You're telling me this woman is your _grandma_?" Naruto exclaimed incredulously. Sai looked equally shocked, but kept his emotion hidden. Himiko flushed.

"I'm sorry. Obaasan likes to pretend she's twenty."

"Hmpf!" sniffed Lady Chigusa. "I feel like a twenty year old and there's nothing wrong with that. Why my dear friend Tsunade taught me this youth trick. Far more effective then cosmetics or aging creams."

"Lady Tsunade?" Sai said in surprise. "If you're acquainted with the Hokage, then—"

"Can you help us get our friend Sakura back?" demanded Naruto.

"Who?"

That was when Himiko began to wail again. "I'm sorry! It's all my fault! I did something horrible and I don't know how I did it, but I did and now Sakura chan is somewhere lost in time and—"

"Wait, did you say Sakura? As in Sakura Haruno?" questioned Lady Chigusa in shock. "Oh dear me, has the time come already?"

"Time?" echoed Naruto in confusion.

Lady Chigusa sighed. "Come with me boys, you too my little Himiko. Ryuuji you're dismissed."

Ryuuji looked surprised. "But are you sure?"

"Yes," she stated firmly. "Now do as I say."

Ryuuji hesitated, a look flashing through his blue eyes before he bowed and acquiesced. Lady Chigusa turned to her surrounding attendees. "You be sure to wait outside the temple."

They nodded. "Come children! There is much to discuss I'm afraid. You did send a message to the Hokage about your friend?"

Naruto nodded. "She'll probably be furious when she hears of this. Sakura's her prized apprentice you know."

Lady Chigusa frowned. "I didn't think the time would come so soon. Come along now, time waits for no man, or woman."

* * *

When Sakura regained consciousness, she groaned. The first thing she noticed was the bright light. Oh how she abhorred mornings. She was a nocturnal being by birth and everyone, including the hyperactive Naruto knew not to disturb her. Of course that didn't mean the boy always listened.

The second thing Sakura noticed was that she was at the hospital, the cracks on the ceiling as familiar as the back of her hand. Did they finish the mission? Where was Naruto and Sai? Sakura tried getting up but she found her body much too heavy for her. She sighed. This is what malnourishment did to people. If only she wasn't interrupted during her meals and maybe she wouldn't have passed out. Still…what happened? Why was she on a hospital bed?

"Oh, you're awake!" said a non-familiar voice. Sakura's green eyes flickered next to her and she found a somewhat familiar face. Naruto? "No, sorry, but I'm not this Naruto person. Whoever he is."

Wait, she said that out loud? That's when the memories came flooding back and Sakura literally jumped out of the bed, tearing the tubes injected in her arm.

"W-Wha-Who are you?" she gasped in shock. She backed away towards the window as the non-Naruto person kept slowly walking towards.

"Actually that's a question you need to be answering. Who are you and why were you wearing a Konoha headband? I've never seen you this village before."

Sakura huffed angrily. "Excuse me? Just who do you…," she trailed off she spotted the Hokage Mountain from out the window. What she saw left her jaw dropping. What the hell was going on? What in the hell happened to the Hokage Mountain? Where was the fourth and fifth Hokage's faces? Sakura pointed out the window.

"Please tell me that's a joke,"

"I'm afraid it's not," came a voice from behind the blond man and Sakura. Sakura gasped when she saw the figure walk in.

"This can't be happening," she murmured. "This is just a dream. Any minute I'm going to wake up and find myself sprawled on Tsunade shishou's office floor, having tripped over an empty stray sake bottle and have her spouting off non-sense about having tested my reflexes."

The blond man cocked his head to the side. "Wait, Tsunade –sama does that?"

The man that eerily resembled a slightly younger version of the Third Hokage chuckled, "I feared this day would come. I was warned, but I had selfishly wished it hadn't."

Sakura frowned. "Okay, so where am I, exactly? And why do you look like the Third Hokage?"

"That's because I am the Third Hokage and you, my dear, stumbled back in time."

* * *

**I'm so sorry this took so long! But I'm quite proud of myself for having finished it. Also, I apologize for this uneventful chapter. I promise that much more interesting stuff is gonna go down. Please enjoy and remember: reviews make the world go round.**

**Sincerely, Lady Keiko**


	4. Chapter Three: What Do You Mean?

_**Shades of Pink and Yellow**_

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto**

Chapter Three

Sakura stayed silent like a mute person for about a good thirty seconds before she looked at them all with a WTF face. Her mind was still trying to process this bit of news and it took her another ten seconds to finally react audibly. And so, Sakura could do what any other self-respecting kunoichi who's supposedly gone back in time would do…laugh hysterically.

She placed a hand to her stomach as the giggles escaped past her lips. "Oh my gosh, that was really funny. Time-travel. You two are amazing!" Sakura's laughter subsided softly and she was left staring at a baffled blond haired nin and an unperturbed Third Hokage. "Wait…you were serious?"

"Entirely."

"But…," Sakura frowned, trying to keep the real hysteria at bay. "But there's no such thing. I mean, that's just not possible."

"Is it?" The Third Hokage countered.

Sakura looked at cot and thought back to all and any jutsu that she read about. Her mind searched frantically for anything and finally, she remembered something that she had failed to remember before. Time travel was possible but that was only for maybe going back an hour or two. Those were small time techniques that usually required quite a deathly amount of chakra. And never mind the chakra, just getting the right hand seals in the small window time frame allowed with would be nearly impossible.

That's when Sakura also remembered one more thing. In the book she read (the time travel chapter was only a few paragraphs), it said that there was only one clan in existence that specifically dealt with these kinds of jutsus…one clan. A bright white light in the clearing she fought Gorton in…Himiko of the Chigusa clan huddled close by…Tsunade said their clan technique top secret…

_Ah shit!_

Sakura gaped. "Tsunade could have told me dammit! I bet you she didn't see this coming!" The Third Hokage merely chuckled.

"Wait, let's back track a minute," the blond nin interrupted, holding his hands up. "You're telling me that this girl is from the future? But that's impossible!"

Sakura walked over to the bed and sat down gingerly, feeling suddenly exhausted with life (and she hadn't even turned twenty yet). She suddenly remembered Himiko's words when both of them had been at Sakura's apartment: _Just because things seem impossible doesn't mean it's so. _Suddenly the girl's words weren't so random now. It all makes sense, Sakura thought to herself.

"There are things in this world that may seem impossible, but are truly not," the Third murmured in reply. "Besides, your own flash technique is a fine example."

The man blinked in thought for a minute before he sighed. "You have a point. Still, I'm getting the feeling this is top secret."

"It is," replied the Hokage.

Sakura nodded. "The Gondaime said so herself."

The blond man stood from his seat and turned to leave. "Then I'll just make myself scarce. And you can trust me that I'll say not a word."

The Hokage chuckled. "Of course or I wouldn't have let you stay in the first place. Oh and stay by the door outside, I might call you in later."

He nodded and wordlessly exited the room. Sakura stared after him. Why did he look so eerily similar to Naruto? That aside Sakura turned her attention back to the Hokage.

"H-Hokage-sama, earlier you said that you were warned about…me travelling back in time. Who told you? And how did they know? Is there some sort of purpose to this or was it all just a freak accident?"

The Third Hokage leisurely made his way to the chair Minato had recently vacated and sat down comfortably. "You many questions, most of which I do not even know myself. But I do know that I was warned and I was told to keep everything confidential, even to you I'm afraid."

Sakura frowned. "Well then, is there a way for me to get back home to my own time? If Himiko-sama accidentally brought me here then its logical that another of the Chigusa clan should be able to send me back?"

"Of course. Only another of the Chigusa clan can send you back. But it'd have to be a powerful member, most likely the Head Chigusa. From what the small trickle of whispered rumors tell, time-travelling is no easy feat and to even go an hour back takes a terrible amount of chakra."

Sakura stroked her chin in thought. "I suppose it'll have to be the Head Chigusa then."

"I can set up a meeting for you," Hokage replied. "In three months of course."

Sakura suddenly came to her feet in stunned disbelief. "_What? Three months? _How come it's that long?"

"The Chigusa Clan goes on a mountain retreat for seven months every two years. It's an important tradition that's been done since the clan got started. No one really knows why but its apparent you won't be able to contact them at the moment. There's no one at the estate," Sarutobi patiently explained. "It's already been four months. As soon as they return, they usually send one of their subordinates to inform me."

Sakura sighed. "I guess I _really_ have no choice now. What luck."

Luck…The Third Hokage, known as Sarutobi to those close to him, didn't think it was luck. In fact, when the Head Chigusa had appeared to him four months ago, just before the retreat, Sarutobi had been sure that Ginimo was playing him again. But the once boyish and troublesome young man had grown into his position, taking everything within the clan very seriously now. Therefore, with the face of a shinobi, the Head Chigusa had very cryptically (as per usual with the Chigusa clan) warned of this moment.

_"A storms brewing," had greeted Ginimo as he suddenly entered the Hokage's office straight-faced. Sarutobi looked surprised at seeing him here before him since the younger man usually didn't venture far from the Chigusa compound anymore._

"_Ginimo?"_

"_There's a danger looming over not just the Chigusa clan but the Konoha village as well. We must be prepared and alert."Ginimo had went on._

"_Wait, slow down. What's coming?"_

"_Danger. Danger is coming! Konoha will be in peril!"_

_Dealing with Chigusa's was never easy. "What kind of danger?"_

_Ginimo frowned. "I don't know, but it'll be very destructive. Shinobi's will die, blood will be spilled, the village shrouded in smoke and fear."_

_Sarutobi's eyes widened. "Is it a possible attack?"_

_The young man shook his head. "Not from where you think. And an even greater disaster will befall us from an even sinister force." Sarutobi got up from his desk, but the Head Chigusa lifted his hand to stop him. "Wait! There's one more thing. It's very important. The Head Chigusa before me had seen visions about it. About the destruction…and about the girl."_

"_The girl?"_

"_The girl and boy. They are very important. They have to be together. It's the only way to stop what's to come."_

_Sarutobi shook his head. "I'm sorry, Ginimo, but I don't understand." This confusion was also a common occurrence with the Chigusa's but their premonitions and words were never taken lightly. They predicted the Great War and helped the Fire Country produce efficient strategies. And legends say that they've predicated of evil yet to come._

_Ginimo sighed. "Neither do I but I've had the vision. This may sound far-fetched, but a pink-haired girl from the future will appear in our midst, Sarutobi. I'm not sure when but I know it's going to happen. I've seen it. All I know is that it's crucial she be here, especially with _him_."_

"_And who's him?"_

_Ginimo tapped his head as he tried to remember and connect the separate links. "Him. Blond hair, blue eyes. That's all I know."_

_Sarutobi stroked his chin. "That kind of sounds like Minato. But what do they have to do with—"_

"_Lord Chigusa!" cried an attendant as he burst through the door. "Here you are! Your mother is in hysterics because you left her alone with the elders again! And what are you doing here? We leave for the retreat in an hour!"_

_Ginimo sighed before two more attendants appeared and forcibly carried the Head Chigusa away from the Hokage's office. The first youthful attendant turned toward Sarutobi and bowed respectfully._

"_Our apologies, Hokage-sama. Almost every Chigusa gets antsy with the thought of having to go into the mountains for the next seven months. Anyhow, we shall inform you when we come back." With that the lad left._

The Third Hokage sighed. Just thinking about it made his head hurt, but after some deep thinking and creative interpretation, Sarutobi managed to get the gist of what Ginimo had been trying to communicate…partially anyway. The rest will reveal itself in time. And as he looked at the young pink-haired kunoichi sitting on the bed, deep in her own thoughts, it still surprised him that she was even here. A pink-haired girl…from the future, destined to be with him…Minato? That part he still wasn't sure. And he also didn't get what those two had to with the supposed danger the village would be in.

Sakura sighed. "If I'm stuck here for the next three months then until the Head Chigusa returns, where am I supposed to stay? My apartment is back in my era and I doubt the complex even exists here."

"Mm, that is a problem. And we can't have people finding out that you're not from here, or worse from the future. If any foreign country here's of this, I'd hate to think what would happen. Best keep all this quiet."

Sakura nodded.

Sarutobi then stood up slowly. "I think I know just where you should stay and with whom."

Her green eyes glowed in curiosity. "Who?

It was at that moment that the blond haired man peeked through the door. "Uh, pardon the interruption but Femi said they'll be needing to check up on the girl." He paused when he saw the Third give him "that look". "Is something the matter?"

The Third Hokage smiled. "Yes, in fact, I have a new mission for you to do."

He looked surprised. "Eh? Already?"

"It'll be your only real mission for the next three months."

"_Three months?_ But I have a genin squad to teach!"

"Wait," Sakura said as she quickly caught on. The Third couldn't possibly be thinking what Sakura thought he was thinking, could he? "You're not thinking I stay with _him_?"

Minato, suspicious and also seeming to find where all this was going, looked at the Third. "Hokage-sama are you—"

"Yes, it's exactly both of you are thinking," answered Sarutobi as he made his way toward the door. "Your new mission is to take care of our time-traveler, Minato. She'll this be staying with you for the next three months until the Head Chigusa comes back."

"_What_?" Sakura and Minto both exclaimed in horror.

"But I don't even know him!"

"Hokage-sama, are you forgetting about—"

"My decision is final. I trust that you will complete it successfully."

Minato looked down. "Yes, Hokage-sama."

With that done, the Third Hokage finally left the room. There was an awkward silence in the room seemed to grow in volumes. Still, Sakura was sure that this man looked eerily familiar. She was sure she'd seen him from somewhere, but where? Besides the fact that he looked like a mature version of Naruto, Sakura had to admit that he was good-looking. Why oh why must this have happened to her? Seriously, what was going on? What was the Third so secretive about her purpose for coming here, as accidental as it may be?

And what the hell kind of tradition is it for a clan to go on a mountain retreat for seven months? Before, Sakura's thoughts went any further she heard the blond man clear his throat and give her a small smile.

"Uh, well, since you're going to be my new housemate, how about I introduce myself?" That would be a given seeing as Sakura didn't want to keep calling him blond man forever. "My name is Minato Namikaze. And you are…?"

"Sakura Haruno,"

Minato blinked. "Haruno? Like Haruhi Haruno?"

Sakura's face became alert. Oh my gosh, please don't tell me my mother is actually…of course she is, Sakura scolded herself. How could she have missed that Haruhi particularly dominated the social scene during this time? The time before the nine-tailed attacked the village and her mother was still living a single's life. Speaking of attack, if this was the time when the Third Hokage ruled, then how long was it before the Fourth Hokage came and the nine-tail came in?

"…Sakura?"

Sakura snapped back to the present. "Huh?"

Minato smiled. "Nothing. Just testing your name. Well then, I should go and uh, tidy up my place. You won't be discharged until tomorrow morning so I'll pick you up then."

"Okay," Sakura replied as she watched him leave. Minato huh…Minato Namikaze…where had she heard that name before?

Green eyes widened suddenly as she slapped a hand to her mouth.

_Oh shit! That's Naruto's dad! _And_ the Fourth Hokage!_

* * *

Outside the door, Minato leaned against it and sighed. So much in just four hours and he hadn't even properly relaxed yet from his mission. And on top of that he had to play host to their time-traveler for the next three months. Not that he minded (have you seen her?), but a heads up would have been nice especially since his place was a mess. Minato straightened and was about to turn down the hall when Femi, his old classmate and friend rounded that corner. She had a worried look on her face but Minato maintained his usually friendly smile.

"Hey there, Femi. I'll see you tomorrow," he said as he walked past her.

After he left the hall, Femi's concerned look didn't waver. In fact, she felt more anxious. It was no secret that Minato was quite an oblivious guy when it came to what really mattered, like the feelings of the heart from other people. No, she wasn't crushing on him (he was handsome but he wasn't her type) but someone else was. And she boldly admitted to Femi that she was determined in wooing Minato when she returned from her mission.

Femi was an observant and quiet girl by nature, therefore always felt intimidated by the fiery headed kunoichi. Still, she reminded herself as she walked toward the strange pink-haired girl's room, this girl would only be staying with Minato for three months (yes, she had incidentally overheard when she was about to walk in and hastily beat it the minute the Third Hokage came out) and it was Minato's mission.

So as Kushina's unwilling spy on the lookout for potential rivals, there was nothing to report. As Femi opened the door and met curious sea-green eyes, she relaxed a little as she went about her work.

* * *

_Present Day:_

Lady Chigusa led the entire party back inside the temple she was supposed to have been meditating in originally. As she sat down, she couldn't help but coo over her precious granddaughter like a besotted grandmother. Himiko usually didn't mind but did she have to do it in front of the guests?

"Oh do forgive me boys. I haven't seen Himiko dear in such a long while and she reminds me so much of my late son," Lady Chigusa sighed, dramatically putting the back of her hand on her forehead. "But anywho! I'm still so shock that the time has come."

"The time has come?" Sai repeated.

The elder woman held up a hand as she quickly performed a few hand seals that immediately had the room shifting into strange colors and just completely melting away reality. Naruto freaked the floor beneath him gave way into grass as the ceiling became a sky and the walls a large expense of wide open scenery.

"There this'll do," Lady Chigusa murmured as her pillow shifted and became a large rock. "Now I can properly feel at ease."

"What the hell is place!" Naruto asked as he saw birds soar overhead.

"It's an illusion," Sai muttered.

"Wrong. It's a space in dimension that's completely untouched by time. I can only perform this jutsu here in the temple or in the hidden temple in the mountains," answered Lady Chigusa. "Not only is it supposed to give me visions, but it's a great way to have a conversation without getting eaveasdropped. And one never knows who might be listening."

Himiko looked at her grandmother. "Wasn't this place the ocean before?"

"Bleh. I tired of that. A change of scenery is always healthy for one's skin!"

"I just bet," Naruto muttered. A vein popped on Lady Chigusa's cheek and suddenly a group of crows appeared and began pecking at Naruto's head. Sai resisted the urge to roll his eyes and decided to ignore his teammate.

"Lady Chigusa, you mentioned that you were surprised that it had been time already when we said our friend had been accidentally sent back in time. What did you mean exactly?"

"Oh nothing, simply that there was once a prophecy about her."

"Prophecy?" Himiko repeated. "Why wasn't I told of this?"

Lady Chigusa waved her hand. "Oh there's so many that's it hard to keep track dear. Especially if they're as obscure and cryptic as this one."

Naruto dived to the grass floor in hopes of some cover but the birds were persistent. "Alright! I get it! No teasing about the age thing!" he shouted to Lady Chigusa. The birds seemed satisfied that they were causing the boy misery. They soon got bored and flew away. "Ow…."

"So you're saying there's a prophecy about Sakura-san?" Sai questioned.

"That's right. Of course we weren't sure it was Haruno-san to begin with. All the prophecy said was that a girl with pink hair would get sent back to the time before the Fourth Hokage where she will either bring salvation to the Fire Country or cause its destruction. A girl with pink hair could have been anybody," Lady Chigusa answered.

Naruto and Sai shook their head in a firm negative. Unfortunately, Sakura was the only female in the entire world probably with that shocking shade of pink hair; which was strange since both her parents had normal hair color.

Lady Chigusa shrugged. "Well we did all the formal inquires and eventually Haruno-san's name came up. And now that Himiko here sent her back in time, I have no doubt that she is definitely the one in the prophecy."

"Well, prophecy or not, we want Sakura-chan back," Naruto demanded. "Can't you do something to fix it?"

"As powerful as the Chigusas' are, we are not without faults. Time travelling works three ways: consider the time of the year. Dimensions are weakest at certain points in the season and thus the jutsu is most strongest then. Second, the amount of energy needed and to even go back an hour is almost physically exhausting. Thirdly, fate."

"Fate?" echoed Sai.

Himiko nodded, remembering all her past lessons. "Fate. I've been told that what decides the turning of the wheel of time has to deal with fate. Whether the victim will mess up history or drown in it. Time-travelling is a heavy thing and sometimes causes more harm than good."

"Oh so you have been listening to me!" Lady Chigusa cooed. "That pretty much sums it up. And so, a time-traveling jutsu can only be undone by a powerful user from the other side of time."

"Other side of time? What the hell does that mean?" repeated Naruto.

"I means, that a Chigusa of the past will have to send Sakura-san to the future," Sai concluded. "Who knows when that will be. I'm afraid the Gondaime isn't going to be too happy about this."

"Neither is Haruhi," Naruto added with a shudder of fear. "The woman goes ballistic if Sakura doesn't come to see her during Sunday dinners. But anyways, there's gotta be something we can do to bring her back!"

Lady Chigusa shook her head. "I'm afraid there isn't a thing to be done. Time-travelling jutsus cannot be undone unless a user from the past sends the victim back. It's a sure way defense mechanism developed over time. Besides, call it an accident, but Sakura Haruno getting sent back is fate."

Naruto pulled at his head. "Urg! I don't understand and this rule of yours is total bullshit!"

"Oh hush!" The Head Chigusa chided. "Many a threat have come to the Chigusa clan before and even now is no exception. We are being targeted by someone even as we speak. My sister traveled time and unfortunately never came back to her time which was around when my son was six," her eyes clouded. "We recently found her body a few years back, near the outskirts of Konoha village, practically all bones in a shallow pit. She had been murdered, but of course the Head Chigusa at the time had predicted a death in the family. I just didn't know it had been hers." Her eyes met the two young shinobi. "So even if we wanted too, we can't bring your friend back. I hear she's smart so she'll figure out a way to come home, hopefully not the long way."

There was silence in the area as a sudden solemn atmosphere settled around them. Finally, mostly out of curiosity, Naruto asked one last question. "When you say that you're being threatened, do you know who it is?"

This time it was Himiko who spoke. "It's someone who wants to be the Master of Time. They want to harness all the time chi which can only be done by absorbing the chi of the most powerful Chigusa. After all, they say he who controls time, controls the world," she paused. "It's why my mother and father had been murdered when I was only three."

Heavy silence. It didn't take long to realize why Himiko had needed the escort to return home. And if this threat was as serious as they claimed, and if this person succeeded, how would Sakura ever get home?

"But there is a bright side," Lady Chigusa quickly interjected. "The most likely of times when a Chigusa is powerful enough to perform a time-travel jutsu is in three months! I'm sure Sakura-san will be home by that time."

Sai's eyes widened and Naruto gaped. Three months? Just imagine telling Tsunade and Haruhi Haruno that!

* * *

_The Next Day, Past:_

Sakura fluttered her lashes as the sunshine greeted her face. She stayed in that zombie-like state for a minute before she noticed how hot the sun was. Could it be afternoon time already? That was when she quickly sat up and flew off the bed. Gah! Her hospital shift! It started at ten am sharp! She was late! She was late! She'd never been late before!

When Sakura noticed her surroundings weren't that of her apartment, but the hospital, she paused. What was she doing? Did she finally collapse from exhaustion? Sakura absently peered out the window of the hospital room and froze, memories flooding her mind and filling her with a set of overwhelming emotions. She placed a hand to her forehead as she sat on the edge of the bed.

Oh lord…she was still in the past. She's been hoping it was only a bizarre dream due to lack of sustenance and an over active imagination. But…the glaringly obvious mountain outside just refused to let her deny the truth any longer.

Sakura was stuck in the past and she had to wait the next three months for the Chigusa clan to come back from their mountain retreat so she could go home. Of all the luck! Sakura stared at the wall as her mind thought out how best to cope with the situation. Until the next three months, it'd be better to think of this place as a vacation.

Her eyes widened slowly as she played with the word. Vacation…she smiled. She hadn't taken a day off, let alone vacation in…in…well, in…how long ago was it? Ah whatever, she couldn't remember since when and it didn't matter now. Shizune's always been chiding Sakura that she's working too hard and should just kick back for a while, at least before the ANBU Elite Trials started. Cause once that came, Sakura would have to kill the last smidgeon of a social life she once held in order to pass (the average passing ratio was 7 out of 50).

And since that won't be in another six months (during the present time), Sakura didn't have to worry…much. She exhaled as she laid back in bed. Still, what exactly did people do during vacations? Sakura's usual schedule was always filled with work, study, missions, and work. If it wasn't for Ino and Naruto's daily interruptions, Sakura wondered if she'd have become a hermit unfamiliar with civilian society (and she was only nineteen, which stood to reason that she should definitely rest more).

A knock on the door sounded and a different nurse came in, smiling as she brought in a tray of food. Sakura quickly sat up and pushed all other thoughts to the wind.

Food first, everything else can go screw itself till later.

"Are you ready?" Minato asked Sakura an hour later as he stood by the entrance of the hospital. Sakura tried not to stare at him for too long lest she look like an idiot. Once she had had her fill of breakfast and changed into normal clothes that the hospital provided (tasteless shapeless ones that never seemed to change with time apparently), the nurse had kindly reminded her that Minato would be picking her up in less than thirty minutes. Which set her in a frenzy as she remembered that Minato Namikaze happened to be _Naruto's dad_. _And the Fourth Legendary Hokage! _Just the thought had been enough to freak her out since, as a little girl, had always wondered about the Fourth since he was hardly mentioned in her history class. When she had later read up on him and seen his picture, she had been shocked by how little information there was on him and how _HAWT _the man had looked (but as a Sasuke-lover at the time, she'd never admit that aloud in public).

And now there he stood in front of her. An innocently bemused expression on his handsome face as he waited for her response. Oh shit! Her response.

"Oh, oh yeah, I'm totally ready," she said quickly, hoping he hadn't noticed her moment (she did that quite frequently unfortunately).

He smiled. She blushed and her heart double flipped at the sheer beautifulness of it. Oh my gosh, this man was more than just _HAWT_. He was _GORGEOUS_! How could she possibly face him normally when his good-looks were just glaring her in the face? Even Sasuke hadn't been this blessed. Since she hadn't known who he was at first and had been a little preoccupied by her situation (STUCK IN THE PAST, hello?), her hot guy radar (yes she had one of those, developed at an early age along with her gay guy radar) had been ignored…_until this moment_.

Minato continued to smile. "That's good. You feeling alright from the poison as well?"

She nodded. "They managed to remove the last bit of the toxins still in my system."

"Great. I guess I can take you to my house then and you can get settled in."

The thought of a _real_ bed, with _real_ pillows and _real_ sheets had her body aching to fall asleep again. The magic of a good bed. Sakura smiled and followed after Minato as he walked down the busy streets of Konoha.

* * *

**I'm so sorry this took so long! I honestly didn't mean for this to take forever and hopefully the next chapter won't. Unfortunetly when life throws you lemons, you're friggin' forced to make lemonade...and with no sugar T^T. Oh well. I'm lovin' the support and your reviews everyone! I shall hopefully have the next chapter out before this or the next week. So that's all for now.**

**P.S. I apologize for any grammatical errors you may or may not find.**

**Sincerely, Lady Keiko**


End file.
